


The Animal Inside Of Me

by cloud_nerd



Category: Game Grumps
Genre: Arin finally learns that, Dan is a really nice person, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Hybrid AU, Intrusive Thoughts, M/M, Mentions of Blood, Minor Injuries, Panic Attacks, Ross is mentioned, Strong Language, like swearing and stuff, mark fischbach is mentioned, short description of violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-29
Updated: 2016-07-29
Packaged: 2018-07-27 12:44:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7618570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cloud_nerd/pseuds/cloud_nerd
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arin is a cat-hybrid and he hasn't told anyone. What happens if one day he cannot control his animal side while he's recording with Danny?</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Animal Inside Of Me

**Author's Note:**

> Hybrids can change between a normal human body, their animal e.g. a cat and transforming only partially. For instance only having cat ears or a tail and the rest of the body is still human. The color of the animal depends on the color of the human's hair. With Arin it'd be that his fur is a mix between light and dark brown and a little bit of white. Because of his blond streak one of his ears as a cat is light and the other is dark.

One thing Arin Hanson does not share with their viewers, is the fact that he's a cat-human-hybrid. The reason being quite simple. Hybrids are being oppressed by 'normal' humans. They get bullied, harassed and disowned by their parents. Hybrids are believed to bring poverty and illness to the household they're born in. Many think that they embody the evil of humanity. 'Normal' couples can give birth to hybrids and vice versa. Who'll be born a hybrid and who won't, happens on pure coincidence. So does the kind of animal someone will be. The animal genes aren't always visible during the pregnancy or the actual birth but often develop over time. Many parents choose to abandon their child upon finding out what they truly are out of fear of rejection by society. If those kids are young, chances are they're going to starve on the streets. There are some hybrid shelters that take care of lost hybrids but not nearly enough for everyone. Arin is one of those kids who grew up in a shelter. He was around five years old when it happened.

~~Flashback~~

Arin woke up on the first day of winter break. It was only a few days till Christmas. He was so exited about all the presents he'd get but his excitement soon got crushed.  
Arin was happily sitting in the kitchen eating his cereal when he heard the high pitched scream of his mother behind him. He turned around and saw her horrified expression. Her finger was pointing at his head. All her noise brought his father running to them. Upon seeing his son, he started shouting insults at young Arin. He couldn't even comprehend everything but some things were crystal clear to him when his dad yelled "Monster!", "Hybrid devil!" and similar slurs. Terrified the boy lifted his hands to touch his head and found two small kitten ears. Tears started to gather in his eyes as it dawned on him what was going on. When his mother stopped screaming she stomped up the stairs to Arin's room. The boy followed close behind and watched anxiously as his mother took his backpack from the chair. While she ripped his wardrobe open and carelessly put in some clothes, Arin cried for his mother to stop and not kick him out. Angrily she zipped the bag shut and screams at him. "You know our opinion on hybrid scum like you very well! You can't expect us to raise a monster like you!" She then threw the full bag toward her son and walked to the bed to get his favourite stuffed cat which she too threw at him. Arin still sobbing picked both things up. His mother didn't hesitate to shove Arin down the stairs and out the front door where his father already waited for him. He pulled Arin by his hair and pushed him into the back seat of his car.  
After 30 minutes of speeding down the streets and thousands of ignored pleading later, the car stopped. Arin's father got out, opened the back door, grabbed him by the collar and literally threw him onto the streets. His bag and plushie followed shortly after. In the blink of an eye his father was gone without a trace, leaving Arin alone in the cold winter morning in a city he didn't recognized.  
A bunch of teenagers had seen what happened to the boy. Whispering to each other they pointed at him and proceeded to circle him. They mocked him and started to kick Arin. "Stupid hybrid! Go back to hell where you came from!" Arin yelped and whimpered as their feet collided with his body. "Aww little fuck got abandoned by his parents!" Tears were streaming down his face as he begged for them to stop. "C'mon! Show us your animal side!" Arin curled into himself in a weak attempt to protect himself. "Ha! You're so weak! Go die already!" They gave him one last hard kick and walked away. Arin didn't move anymore. The pain was blocking out every other feeling. He had lost track of time and when he tried to stand up, the pain flared up again making him flinch and fall back down. Very slowly Arin crawled to the nearest wall and lifted his upper body up so he could lean against the bricks.  
Arin wasn't stupid he had learned about hybrids very early on in his life. He knew they were hated. What he could have never imagined was that he himself is one. His hand moved to his head and he felt the soft triangles that ruined his life. Tears were stinging in his eyes again when he realised what had happed to him. He was crying out for his parents to take him back, tears now flowing freely down his cheeks.  
Arin didn't know how much time had passed since he realised his parents won't come back but it got colder by the minute. He was shivering and when thick snowflakes started to fall from the sky, he curled up to try and keep his remaining body heat. He gritted his teeth as the pain in his chest got worse and every breath he took began to hurt. The combination of the cold and the pain made his breathing shallow and his vision got fuzzy around the edges. Arin couldn't fight the darkness any longer and exhausted he finally passed out. 

That night he almost died if not for the caretaker of a shelter in the city. Arin was still curled up in an ally. Hands and feet numb from the cold that crept through his skin. His tail was rolled around his legs which he had pulled to his chest. Arin already emptied out his backpack and wore as many clothes as possible. Mark the caretaker of said shelter was walking home from a trip to the pharmacy. He needed some medicine for the sick hybrid kids back home, when he heard the broken sobs from Arin. At this point he was shaking like mad and his lips were already turning blue. Mark immediately hurried over to the small boy and sank to his knees in front of him. Without a second thought he took off his coat and laid it over Arin who seemed to be half unconscious. "Hey kid, what's your name?", Mark had asked in a quiet voice as not to startle the boy. Arin flinched and looked up. Only now did he notice the coat over him. Scared this man was going to hurt him too, Arin frantically looked for a way to escape. Mark saw the fear of the boy and tried to calm him down. "Hey now, I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. I can take you somewhere where there are lots of children like you." That seemed to be enough of a reassurance for the worn-out boy so he slowly nodded. Mark was a bit taken aback by how little conviction Arin needed. To make sure he understood him correctly, he asked whether the boy wanted to come with him or not. When Mark got a small nod again he slowly put his arms around the child and lifted both of them off the ground. Arin whimpered as his body got moved and the pain raced back through every muscle. Noticing the boy had to be injured, Mark was much more careful. The bag of medicine and Arin’s backpack were securely tied around Marks wrist and the coat was wrapped tightly around Arin. After a few minutes of walking in silence Mark asked again. "Soo kid, would you care to tell me your name?" Arin's response was just a mumble but Mark was able to understand it nonetheless. "A-Arin H-Han-Hanson." "Nice to meet you Arin. I'm Mark Fischbach and it's my job to take care of people like you." Arin could barely register those words before sleep caught back up to him.  
Since that moment the shelter was his home and Mark was like a father to him.

~~Present~~

Arin hates this memory. His parents made it clear to him that people hated hybrids. Those teenagers made it clear that hybrids are the scum of humanity. Even other hybrids taught him he was a useless reject. They were the reason he doesn't trust anyone a 100% anymore. He keeps his distance to everyone he meets. Sure there were some people like Mark but those were hard to find and easy to lose.  
Except for those people at the shelter, no one knows the true Arin. The Arin that loves to be hold, the Arin that loves physical contact and affection. They only see the Arin that shifts away from touches and quickly changes subjects when someone asks about his personal life.  
Since he started the Game Grumps with a bunch of his human friends though, his shy and quiet personality changed drastically. He got louder, bolder and happier. Although he makes up lies about his past he made some incredible friends. When Jon decided to leave the Grump family and Dan Avidan joined, Arin’s life got turned upside down once again. Danny made him question everything he did, he made Arin feel guilty about not telling the truth. It had gotten to the point where he was so close to blurting out his secrets but he chickened out every time. It got worse when the two grew so close. Dan tells Arin everything, which in return made him feel bad for lying. He fears that if his best friend ever finds out he's going to abandon him too. So he keeps on telling lies about his family and his past.  
Being stuck with one another in a room almost everyday makes you discover many things about the other as well as yourself. That's how Arin found out he may like the touches of a specific curly haired man a little too much. After having to hide behind a mask his whole life, it's not too hard for him to pretend he doesn't feel the electricity whenever Danny puts his hand on his shoulder.

Usually Arin can control his hybrid side quite well. Even when he gets mad or irritated he's able to maintain his human form. But today is going to be especially hard. It's the 20th of December, the day his parents disowned him. Arin barely got any sleep the night before due to his nightmares and is now laying on the Grump couch, head leaning against the armrest, eyes closed, waiting for Danny to arrive. Arin is only half conscious but flinches awake when the door squeaked open and a very loud Dan walks in. "Hey Aariin~, are you ready for a super awesome Grump session?" said bubbly man shouts. Arin’s mouth turns to a frown for a split second before he opens his eyes and a big smile is plastered across his face. "Of course dude! You know me, I always am!" Arin lies, voice a little less exited. God knows how much he'd rather be back home, alone, curled up under a mountain of blankets and sleep for a hundred years. But he had to get his shit together or else this day was going to be veery long.  
They had planed to record some Mario Maker today. Arin knows that of course, that's another reason for his irritated mood. He knows he's going to get mad, going to rage as if there's no tomorrow. He knows anger makes his animal side appear far easier and now that he's on less than one hour of sleep, this is probably not going to end well for him.

As Arin had predicted he's mad, so mad. He shouts and curses and hits the table. Danny's laughing his ass off at Arin’s anger not seeing that this only makes the other madder. After his next death Arin excuses himself and rushes to the bathroom. His head feels like it's on fire, the heat licking on every inch of his skin. His fingers frantically search for something to scratch and his eyes can't focus on anything. His breathing is echoing in his ears as he grips the sink and tries to concentrate. The animal in him making it hard for him to think of calming things like the wind and waves crashing.  
He remembers the times he played in the park during summer, chasing birds. He remembers the fun times he had back at the shelter. His breathing steadies out and the fire dies down to a small flame.  
Arin knows he's playing a very dangerous game right now, if he isn't careful even the smallest thing could throw him over the edge and ruin his life forever. Arin wouldn't know what he'd do if Dan rejected his true form. Somewhere in his head a voice screams at him not to go back to Danny, to just bail, but Arin can't come up with a good enough lie for an escape. So he does the only thing he could do right now, he checks in the mirror if there are any signs of his transformation and goes back to the recording room. Dan's waiting expectantly for him and when Arin steps through the door, he immediately turns around with a worried expression. "Are you okay, Ar? Did you have to barf?" The worry catches Arin slightly off guard and he stumbles over his answer. "Eh...no, I-I just needed t-to calm myself down, so I wouldn't break the controller in half." He silently curses himself for stuttering. That makes him only less believable. "Okay...you up for another round?" Arin can sense that Dan doesn't know whether he should believe his friend or not, so he tries to sound even more enthusiastic. "Yeah! I can easily go for another thirty minutes or so." Danny seems satisfied with that so they start another level.

It doesn't take Arin many deaths to become enraged again. The problem this time is that he's too focused on completing this stage so he doesn't notice the heat rising again. The fire slowly consumes his head and when he realizes, it's too late. He feels his ears poke up from under his hair, he feels his teeth sharpening and his vision becomes slightly red. _No._ Arin thinks. _No No no nononono NO!!_ He loses his focus on the game and promptly dies. _Shit ShiT SHIT! I need to get away! Dan isn't supposed to see me like this!_ His mind is running a mile per second, making him turn his head looking for a hiding spot.  
Due to the panic rising in his chest, shades of blue and black mix into his red-ish view. Obviously Dan notices his friends weird change in behaviour and looks over. "Hey Big Cat, are yo-oh my god! Ar-Arin?! What are yo- are you okay?!" Dans voice comes out a few octaves higher but Arin can't hear that. The panic clouding all his senses. He's transforming further, tail growing and nails turning to claws. Arin is full on terrified by now. His eyes are rapidly moving back and forth, his breathing is speeding up. Danny keeps on talking to him but his voice gets blocked out, all he can hear is his own breathing and racing pulse. His claws are digging into his knees drawing a bit of blood. Dan can see the fear in Arin’s eyes and decides to put his own shock aside so he can try to calm his best friend down.  
"Hey Ar, it's okay! Heey look at me, Arin!" Danny uses the softest tone he can manage and slowly reaches out to unclasp Arin’s hands from his knees. Arin on the other hand did not see this coming and is acting purely on instinct when his hand moves at the speed of sound. Dan doesn't have a chance to react when Arin’s claws had already ripped over his forearm. Danny yelps and flinches back. His face just as shocked as Arin’s. Before Dan could even open his mouth to say something, the other jumps up and runs into a corner of the recording booth. Arin falls to the floor, hugs his legs and observes every move Dan makes with wide eyes. _I didn't want to hurt anyone! Especially not him!_ Tears are flowing down his cheeks. _I'm a monster! I can't let him near me! Fuck, he's gonna hate me now._ Arin’s brain works even faster than before. He tries to breathe but seemingly no air comes through to his lungs. His nails are digging into his skin damaging it more. He can see Dan’s mouth moving but cannot hear any words coming out.  
Meanwhile Dan has put together a makeshift bandage out of a towel he found to stop the bleeding of his arm.  
The older of the two carefully makes his way toward the cowering cat hybrid making shushing sounds. Although Arin’s vision is blurred from his tears, he sees a figure coming closer. _Dan's coming to get you! He's gonna yell at you and then beat you up! He's gonna brag to the other Grumps about what he did!_ Arin whimpers and presses himself further into the wall, wishing to disappear.  
"Da-Dan, do-don't...ple-please...! I-I didn't..." Arin is shaking as he tries to fill his lungs with enough air. "Shhh, Arin. It's okay, Arin, it's okay!" His ears finally open up and he can hear Danny keep on repeating these sentences until he's only two feet away from him. "S-stay ba-back! P-please don't h-hurt m-me! I-I swear i-it w-was an a-accid-dent!" Arin’s voice gets louder as his fear grows even more. "Ar, shh I'm not going to hurt you! Shh Arin it's okay." Danny is still inching closer while he's talking in a soothing tone. "Liar! I k-know you w-will!" Arin chokes out, tears still flowing with no sign of stopping. "Arin I won't, I couldn't hurt my best friend, ever!", Dan’s voice is quiet, his heart aching at the sight of his friend. Arin sobs but doesn't respond, simply continues to observe Dan’s movements. Danny carefully extends his hands but stops immediately when Arin flinches. "Ar, trust me! I'm not going to hurt you." When he didn't react Dan lowers his hand onto Arin’s arm. "See? It's okay, Big Cat. Everything's okay." The hybrid sucks in a deep breath and visibly relaxes. Danny once again unclasps Arin’s hands so that he's holding them in his own. He stares the other directly into the eyes as he firmly says, "Arin, I don't hate you and I'm never going to hurt you." The longer Dan looks the more colours he can make out. His usual shade of brown is darker with hints of gold, blue and red. He lets go of one hand to wipe Arin’s tears away.  
Instinctively Arin closes his eyes tightly, waiting for the flaming pain of a slap that would never come. As the hand disappears he slowly opens one eye. Dan opens his arms so that Arin could have come to cuddle him, knowing this normally calmed his friend down in a matter of seconds. When Arin hesitates, he sighs. "Arin, I promise you, I'm not mad or anything! I was simply shocked, I swear." That's the last thing it takes for Arin to fling himself into Dan, knocking them both over so he's laying on top of Danny. Reflexively Dan puts his arms around Arin and hugs him close, using his uninjured hand to scratch at the nape of the others neck.  
As he smells Danny’s familiar scent, his breathing slowed down. To Dan’s surprise he starts to hum in content, that soon turns into some sort of cat like purr. They lay there in silence for a few minutes when Arin decides to break it. "...Dan...y-you're going to leave me, a-aren't you...?" Arin’s voice is barely over a whisper. Dan removes his hands from Arin’s back and places them on both sides of his face. He gently turns Arin’s head towards his but Arin doesn't look at him. "Hey Ar, look at me." Danny waits until they lock eyes. "I'm never going to abandon you! No matter what you did, no matter what you are, no matter what! Okay?" His voice is stern. Arin gives a weak smile and puts his head back on Danny’s chest. Dan’s hand begins to comb through the others hair.  
After a while, when Arin had completely calmed down, Dan’s back begins to ache. "Don't you think we should go somewhere more comfortable?" Dan gives a hushed laugh when Arin shakes his head. "'m comfy." "Seriously, Big Cat, I have a feeling we're gonna fall asleep and I really don't wanna wake up with back pains like an old ass grandpa." Now it's Arin’s turn to laugh quietly. "I know at least _I_ will fall asleep soon cause I'm tired as fuck." Arin grins tiredly. "What, were you too occupied otherwise last night?" Arin knows exactly what Danny's playing at, but he didn't have any girls over. Besides he's not really interested in them anyway. There's only one person he's currently interested in and they have a mop of curly hair and go by the name of Dan Avidan. "No, Dan, it's not what you think. It's a long story, so don't worry about it." Arin sighs. "But what if I _do_ worry about it, Ar?" Danny furrows his brows in concern of his friend’s sad expression. "Don't. Not yet at least. I'm too exhausted to explain and like I said, long story." Comes the mumbled response. "Okay, I'll wait." Arin hums and starts to lift himself off Dan. The other follows his lead and they walk back to the Grump couch. "...Arin, I-I don't want to be invasive or anything but you are able to hide your cat parts, aren't you?" Dan asks sheepishly. "Nah, it's fine dude. I suppose you're curious about that stuff now. But yes obviously. I mean, you saw me without before, didn't you?" Arin stops himself before he'd start rambling and sits down. "I guess that's true." Danny chuckles at his own stupidity while he too sits down.  
A comfortable silence stretches between them but as soon as Arin’s gaze lands on Danny’s arm, he chokes on the breath he's taking. "D-Dan..." Arin’s voice breaks, "I-I’m sorry about hurting you...I-I didn't..." Danny lifts his arm to inspect the bandage. A little bit of Blood had soaked through. "Hey, it's fine, Ar, really!" he responds softly, "Though I think I should go and clean them up a bit." "Wait, I'm gonna get the first aid kit! Stay here.", offers Arin and while he says that he already jumped up and is making his way towards the door. "Arin, wait...! You still have your...eh...you know...you should...change..." Dan’s voice trails off. The hybrid quickly shakes his head as he's opening the door and the cat parts disappeared.  
While waiting Danny decides he should remove the bloody towel and throw it away but the dried blood is already stuck to his wounds. When he rips it if, he cries out in pain. The scares aren't dangerously deep but they hurt like hell now that they're open again.  
A minute later Arin comes back, holding a first aid kit. He sits back down and gently takes hold of Dan’s injured arm. While he's cleaning the cuts he constantly muttered apologizes cause Dan tenses up and whimpers from time to time. Arin then wraps some actual bandages around, securing them tightly and puts the kit on the table. "Thank you, Big Cat." Danny tries to look into Arin’s eyes but the other casts his eyes down. "...least I can do.", responds the other. Dan puts his now fixed up arm around Arin and hugs him close. Wanting to be more comfortable he lays them down onto the couch. He pulls a blanked up so that they're both covered. Arin’s head is buried in Dan’s chest, Dan’s arms tightly holding onto Arin's body. Cuddled into each other it doesn’t take them long at all before they're both asleep.

•••Timeskip•••

Dan wakes up first and glances at the clock, 1:17pm. He remembers the events from earlier and looks down on his friend. He pushes Arin’s hair back and smiles when Arin’s nose twitches. _He looks so damn adorable,_ thinks Danny. _Wait, no! Arin's your friend, dammit!_ Despite his brain telling him otherwise he continues to stroke Arin’s hair when the other suddenly stirs and starts to murmur. "No...Dan...wait...I...I love...too..." Dan’s breath hitches but Arin stays silent after that. The wheels in Dan’s brain begin to turn. _What if he loves you? I mean he has been dreaming about you, soo that has to mean something. Don't get your hopes up! You'll only be disappointed! He will never love you!_  
He gets so lost in thoughts he doesn't realise that Arin woke up and is looking at him. "Stop frowning, Dan, or it will permanently be engraved into your face." Arin jokes as he uses his fingers to push Dan’s lips up. Danny blinks and comes back to reality. He focuses his eyes on Arin’s and smiles. "Slept well, sleepyhead?" Arin nods. "That's good, you looked terrible this morning." Dan points out, unknowing that that was a mistake.  
Arin’s eyes widen for a moment before tears are gathering in his eyes and embarrassed, he buries his face into Dan’s chest. Memories are flooding his head and his breathing gets faster.  
"Well, if you were me you too would look like shit.", he mumbles so that the other has trouble understanding him. "Was the night that bad?" Danny feels sad because he's the reason his friend is distressed again. He feels Arin press himself further against him. Arin wishes he could just shrink and hide somewhere in Dan’s shirt. "You wanna talk about it?" Dan asks quietly but he doesn't get any response.  
When he feels his shirt get wet, Danny speaks up again. "Heey Big Cat, it's okay, you'll be-" "I lied to you." Arin interrupts his best friend. "I...what you mean? What about?" Danny looks confused about the sudden statement. "Well...e-everything, kind of." Arin's dreading the conversation that they're about to have and fists his hands into Dan’s shirt. Danny stays silent, hoping his friend would explain a little more. Arin on the other hand interprets the others lack of words as anger and starts to panic. _He hates you! He's gonna fucking yell at you what a shit friend you are!_  
"I'm sorry I'm sorry I'msorryI'msorry-" He starts to sob, "Pl-please don't hate me...please.", his voice breaking again. "Nonono, Ar, it's okay! Shhh it's okay, I don't mind." Dan is quick to reassure Arin as he pulls his friend closer. He continues to talk quietly into Arin’s ear and rubs circles on his back.  
The kindness the older shows feeds Arin’s guilt until he couldn't take it anymore. He pushes himself away from Dan as he chokes out, "N-No Danny, you h-have a right to know these things n-now that you know what a monster I truly am." Dan props himself onto his elbow while Arin proceeds to stand up. "Arin, you're not-" "M-maybe we should leave the G-Grump Room, I thought Ross and B-Barry wanted to record too today..." Trying to stall time Arin changes the subject and angrily wipes his eyes as more tears roll down. "...Yeah you're probably right. Wanna head to mine?" Danny slowly stands up as well and looks questionably towards his friend. Arin hesitates for a moment then nods and steps out the door.  
He keeps his head turned to the floor and flinches when Ross starts to talk to them. "Man finally! What took you guys so long?" "Sorry dude, we fell asleep." Danny sheepishly replies. Ross breaks out laughing but stops immediately when he sees Danny’s bandage. "Oh my god Dan, what happened to your arm?", he gasped. Dan can see Arin tensing up in front him. As a comfort he put his hand on the others back, out of Ross' view.  
"Oh, that?", he lifts his arm, "It's nothing. I was cutting some fruit when my hand slipped. Don't worry about it." Dan waves him of. When Arin heard that he relaxes a little. "You should really be more careful then, man.", replies Ross. Danny laughs uneasily then says, "Well we were just heading home. You and Barry have a good session."  
The two already started to walk towards the exit when Arin quietly thanks Dan. "No worries man. I'll always have your back."

•••Timeskip•••

As soon as they enter Danny’s apartment he goes to make hot chocolate. Dan puts extra amounts of whipped cream on top cause he knows how much Arin loves that. They settle down on the couch, both men silently enjoying their hot drinks. Dan doesn't want to pressure his friend into saying anything, so he waits for him to make the first move.  
While staring into his empty mug on the table, Arin's trying to gather the courage to speak. He shifts around nervously and plays with the hem of his shirt. Finally, he coughs and begins in a low voice. "M-my past isn't as happy as I always told you. My...I... I grew up in a hybrid shelter." Having started Arin couldn't stop the words from tumbling out his mouth like a waterfall. And so he tells Dan his whole life story. How he lived until his parents found out, how he got kicked out, his life in the shelter, he tells him almost everything. Danny listens carefully and hums from time to time but doesn't interrupt his friend even once. "Now t-the reason I barely slept last night was b-because today 21 years ago, my parents threw me out. A-and every year I g-get these nightmares a-and I still don't know what to do to stop them s-so I thought I-I should simply stay awake." "Oh my god Ar, I didn't know! I'm so sorry! It's okay, you're okay now! In the future you can always call me." Danny whispers as he hugs Arin close. "I will never abandon you, Arin. You'll be my Big Cat forever, my literal Big Cat." He feels the other smile against his chest. They stay like this for a while before Dan shifts them so that they're lying down.  
"If you don't mind me asking, can you transform at will?" Dan was genuinely curious about the whole hybrid thing. "Well yeah, but sometimes it gets hard to control like you saw earlier. Especially when I'm angry or anxious. It's like a natural defending mechanism, I guess." Arin gets quieter towards the end. "So when we play games like today, you have trouble keeping your emotions under control?" Dan’s hands are drawing patterns on the others back. "Not necessarily, but if for example I'm sleep deprived like I've been this morning, it's almost impossible for me not to change." Arin answers honestly. "So that's why you bolted to the bathroom, you didn't want me to see." assumes the older. The hybrid nods. "I have another question but you don't have to answer if you don't feel comfortable." Arin nods again. "Can you change only halfway into a cat or fully as well?" Dan's unsure how the other will react and when Arin freezes he hurries to back track. "I-I mean, I'm sorry for intruding a-and..." he trails off and watches anxiously as the younger detaches himself from him. Arin stands up and shifts from one foot to another.  
Mumbling a small "W-watch." he closes his eyes. Arin focuses and lets the heat engulf his body. He slowly sinks to the floor and the next thing he sees are Danny’s wide opened eyes.  
He gets more and more nervous as seconds tick by and Dan stays silent. Insecure, Arin lowers his head and stares at the floor. No non-hybrid has ever seen him like this and he doesn't know how people will react to a giant beast standing in their living room. A cat, shoulders about half a meter high, tail twitching and head bowed low. Arin’s hazel eyes shimmer golden as the sun light hits them. Dan’s mouth hangs slightly open when he sees the blond-brown cat in front of him. "Ar-Arin...I...you look adorable!" he exclaims suddenly. Arin’s ears perk up and he lifts his head to look at him. Dan is still laying down and he lifts his arm up as he asks "You up for more cuddles?" The hybrid barely thinks about it before he jumps up and curls into Dan’s side. The other buries his hand in Arin’s longish fur and scratches his head. Instantly he starts to purr and relaxes into Dan’s hand. Both of them close their eyes as they enjoy each others company. Danny’s movements slow down as he falls asleep. Arin too drifts off into a calm sleep.  
He never could have imagined to find someone as accepting as Dan and maybe just maybe there are more good people in this world.


End file.
